Where Do Freelancers Work Best?

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When you run your own business, it is up to you as a freelancer, to decide where you work, and this is a phenomenal opportunity. You know yourself best and choosing the working environment that suits you perfectly can not only make your job more productive but more pleasant as well.


So, where are IT freelancers working from?

We asked our community via our freelancer survey how they handled this choice.

Here’s what we learned from the results in 2019:

Where do freelancers work - Remote vs onsite

Almost surprisingly, the results show that the majority of freelancers are still working in the client’s office (55% of the freelancers surveyed).

Working in close proximity with the client certainly has some advantages – being close to the people you’re working with has to be the biggest one. It maximizes the ability to communicate quickly and can save some time and it is often easier to understand the problem you were hired to solve.

However, at the same time, remote work is often something a lot of freelancers look at when considering becoming a freelancer.

55% of freelancers are still mainly working in their client’s office.

45% of freelancers responded that they were working remotely. But do they mainly work from home or somewhere else?

Check out the distribution amongst freelancers working mainly from home, freelancers working in a coworking space, and freelancers with their own private office:

Where do freelancers work - Remote vs onsite

As expected, the majority of those working remotely do so directly from the comfort of home.

While setting up a disturbance-free environment within your own four walls can be tricky. the convenience and the ability to be next to your loved ones, however, can certainly be worth it!

Just 4% of all surveyed freelancers mentioned enjoying the advantages of co-working spaces.

While surrounding yourself by likeminded people, working on their own projects can do wonders for motivation and it can be a good chance to learn from others, it is surprisingly not a very popular option amongst the surveyed freelancers.

Having an office outside of their homes was also not an attractive choice for freelancers (just 6% of the participants chose this option).

This could be due to the fact that ultimately they find themselves working predominantly in the client’s office, or due to economic reasons – an extra room at home is much cheaper than to rent an office somewhere else, or even for personal reasons – to be close to the family if and when they are needed! 

Portfolio Dragos Muntean

Remote work amongst freelancers varies by continent and industry

If we analyze the data further and highlight the difference in data based on the continent our freelancers are based in, the main picture changes a little bit.

While 90% of freelancers in North America work mainly from home, the number of freelancers working remotely in South America is around 80% and the number drops down to 40% in Europe, where clients still require IT freelancers to be around the main office.

Where do freelancers work - Remote vs onsite

Another important aspect to consider is the type of industry freelancers work in.

94% of freelancers working within the field of graphic, media, and content worked mainly remotely, while just 34% of IT infrastructure experts and 37% of SAP specialists said to be working remotely.

Industry% of freelancers working remotely
Graphic, Media & Content94%
Development55%
Management & consulting43%
SAP37%
IT infrastructure34%

Are you intrigued to learn more about our survey results? You can get a free copy of the results here: 

Download your free copy of our freelancer study

What about you? Where do you work from? Has anything changed from past years? Share your story with fellow freelancers in the comment section below!

Yasmin Purnell

Yasmin Purnell is a content creator at freelancermap.com. She has a great deal of experience working as a freelance copywriter and has enjoyed the Digital Nomad lifestyle. She is in charge of bringing you amazing freelancing tips and experiences that will help you boost your freelance business.

By Yasmin Purnell

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